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New England Knights
The New England Knights are a Tier III Junior A ice hockey team in the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL). The team plays out of Raynham IcePlex in Raynham, Massachusetts. The Knights are owned by Lovell Hockey, which also operates boys' and girls' youth teams. History The franchise was formed in 2010 as the Syracuse Stampede, an original franchise in the 2010–11 season of the Continental Junior Hockey League (CJHL). Michael Beavis was announced as the Stampede's first head coach having been an assistant coach with the Syracuse Stars of the Eastern Junior Hockey League as well as the Oswego Admirals of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.http://tribune-democrat.com/localsports/x1910027186/Local-sports-briefs-6-5-2010 On October 4, 2010, two weeks before the CJHL's expected start date, the league announced the Stampede and two other teams would not participate during the 2010–11 season, instead being added as expansion teams for a 2011-12 season that never took place. Instead, the Stampede began play in 2011 in the Mid Atlantic Division of International Junior Hockey League (IJHL) Super Elite League. The team played out of the Cicero Twin Rinks in Cicero, New York.http://ijhl.us/news2.php?news_id=334314 The Stampede went on to a 35-5-2 record winning the conference and advancing to the IJHL National Championship game where they lost in the finals to National Sports Academy. The Stampede entered the 2012–13 in a new league, the Northern States Hockey League (NSHL). The team finished second in the regular season before winning the playoff championship against the Lake George Fighting Spirit. The Stampede also finished in 3rd place at the United Hockey Union National Tournament in April 2013 losing the semifinal game 1-0 in a shootout. The team moved to the Greater Baldwinsville Ice Arena in Baldwinsville, New York, for the 2013–14 season. The Stampede and the NSHL were acquired by the Tier II North American Hockey League and were renamed the North American 3 Eastern Hockey League (NA3EHL) during the 2014–15 season after leaving the UHU with hopes to gain USA Hockey sanctioning which they attained prior to the 2015–16 season. In April 2015, the team relocated to Morrisville State College in Morrisville, New York. Morrisville is a D-3 school in the State University of New York Athletic Conference and the Stampede felt that the exposure its players will receive during the season will be highly beneficial to their goal of playing at the college level. Prior to the 2016–17 season, the Stampede became part of the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) when it absorbed the NA3EHL. Following the 2016–17 season, the Stampede relocated to Oswego, New York. The team retained the Stampede moniker and became the Oswego Stampede, but changed their logo and team colors. After two seasons in Oswego, the team was sold to Lovell Hockey to become the New England Knights. Lovell Hockey also operates multiple youth teams and have stated the NA3HL team is directly affiliated with the North American Hockey League's Northeast Generals beginning with the 2019–20 season. Season records References Category:American ice hockey teams Category:established in 2010 Category:Northern States Hockey League Category:North American 3 Eastern Hockey League teams Category:North American 3 Hockey League teams